After director Eran Riklis acquired the rights to the best-seller “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” he called author Azar Nafisi and asked her: “Does it make sense to you that an Israeli director would tell your very personal story?”
Nafisi replied without hesitation: “Wonderful.”
Riklis then asked, “And who would you like to portray you?”
Nafisi quickly answered, “Angelina Jolie.”
Riklis, one of Israel’s most prominent directors, had other ideas. He made a fundamental decision that the entire cast would be Iranian. He couldn’t imagine Jolie playing an Iranian professor, faking a Persian accent. But it wasn’t only that.
“It’s the background, the language, the culture and the deeply personal nature of the story,” Riklis told The Journal. “Many of the actresses in the movie had left Iran with tremendous pain, in flight from the country, and some had left because their families had already left.”
Eran Riklis’s film “Reading Lolita in Tehran” is making its U.S. debut at the Israeli Film Festival in Los Angeles on Feb. 5. The film has already screened at multiple international festivals, receiving positive reviews — and remarkably, no controversy has arisen despite being an Iranian story directed by an Israeli filmmaker.
“To this day, I haven’t encountered any opposition to Israel,” Riklis said. “It’s been so quiet that at a screening in Barcelona, I jokingly told the audience I’d even pay someone to wave a Palestinian flag — just to add a little action to the room!”
Joking aside, the film’s story resonates strongly today. It follows Nafisi, born in Iran in 1948, who spent many of her formative years abroad, starting at age 13, studying in England and the United States. After earning her Ph.D. in English and American literature from the University of Oklahoma, she returns to Iran in 1979, just after the Revolution. She quickly realizes the drastic restrictions imposed by the new regime, particularly on women, including mandatory head scarves and modest dress. In response, she quits her job and quietly rebels, forming a secret reading group in her home. There, she teaches Western literary classics deemed “forbidden” by the authorities — including, of course, “Lolita,” Vladimir Nabokov’s classic novel.
Riklis’s past accomplishments as the director of acclaimed films such as “The Syrian Bride,” “A Borrowed Identity” and “Lemon Tree” likely helped convince the Iranian actresses to join the cast. For the lead role, he cast Golshifteh Farahani, one of Iran’s most prominent actresses now living in France. Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who portrays one of the students, had previously collaborated with Israeli director Guy Nattiv, co-directing and acting in “Tatami.”
Rita, the Israeli singer who was born in Iran and moved to Israel as a child, makes a surprise appearance as Nafisi’s mother.
“In the end, almost none of the actresses I reached out to refused; just a few got cold feet and dropped out of the process,” Riklis said. “I chose a large cast of eight women, and they all came on board wholeheartedly — both because of the story and because they were familiar with my previous films.”
Riklis emphasized the importance of courage for artists. “It’s especially vital for creators not to be afraid to tell a story. Because if we are afraid, what will remain in the world of culture? Risks must be taken.”
When the book was published in Iran in 2003, it was banned. Even so, copies circulated unofficially, often brought back into Iran from abroad or shared privately. Translations of classic Western works, including “Lolita,” have similarly been circulated underground or via samizdat-style distribution, suggesting that readers determined to access banned literature do so.
Likewise, there is reason to believe the film has found its way to Iran.
“I’ve been told by people close to me that there’s a pirated copy circulating in Tehran, and people are seeing it. Iranian communities, like the Israelis, are scattered across hubs in LA, Paris and elsewhere. Almost everyone I know has friends or family who still live in Iran. The film has a life of its own.”
Even though “Reading Lolita in Tehran” tells a story that took place nearly 50 years ago, its themes feel astonishingly relevant today. Riklis said he didn’t try to make it relevant. “When I read the book, I realized that even though it tells a story far removed from my own experience, it’s about a society, about women and a historical situation that is relevant almost anywhere — even in America and in highly democratic countries, and certainly in places that have undergone processes similar to those in Iran.”
Riklis believes that in a world so complex and divided — riven by conflicts between countries, peoples and religions — the story resonates now more than ever. True to his style, Riklis focuses on human stories that cross borders. The characters and the challenges they face feel authentic, drawing viewers in and allowing them to see themselves reflected in the story. It’s this realism and emotional honesty that makes the film feel so relevant, bridging history and contemporary life.
The film, a co-production between Israel and Italy, was primarily shot in Rome. Riklis explained that while scouting locations, he first traveled to Athens but soon decided Rome was the right choice.
“When I visited the University of Rome and climbed the steps of the literature faculty, I turned to my crew and said, ‘We’re filming here.’ I spent a sleepless night afterward, worried that the Iranian consultant would say it didn’t look like Tehran — but he turned to me and said, ‘You’ve brought me back to Tehran. This is perfect.’”
Indeed, many Iranians who have seen the film are amazed it wasn’t shot in Iran. The all-Iranian cast added authenticity, and even the massive protest scene, which used 300 extras, felt genuine.
“While rehearsing, I realized that a third of the extras were Iranians studying in Rome, and when they chanted in Persian, it added an authentic dimension to the film.”
During the making of the film, Riklis remained in constant touch with Nafisi, who now lives in Washington, D.C., where she teaches and writes. He wanted to ensure accuracy while telling the story but was particularly struck by one question:
“I asked her, ‘How is it that a woman like you, with an academic career in the U.S., returned to Iran in 1979?’” Riklis said. “She told me, ‘This is my country, and my family, my parents were there. And we were also happy that the Shah fell because we opposed him.’”
When they realized that Khomeini’s regime was far worse than anticipated, they clung to a hopeful, if naïve, faith that it would not last. Nafisi held onto that hope for nearly 20 years before returning to the U.S. in 1997.
“People go through processes; this is true in many places. People ask themselves, ‘What am I doing here?’ but stay because they love their country, because they are connected to their people. It takes time to understand that maybe your place is elsewhere and that perhaps you need to fight — sometimes outside of your country.”.
There are three screenings of “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” each followed by a Q&A: February 5 and February 15 at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, and February 7 at Regal North Hollywood
